Public gardens

Colorado isn’t just rocks and pine trees. The state is home to thousands of varieties of hardy native plants, and it seems every newly arrived visitor added some growing thing to remind them of home.

What the transplants (human) quickly learned is that Colorado’s arid climate and hard-built soil don’t welcome all transplants (botanical).

From a 124-acre eden of trees from around the world to a commercial garden devoted to short-lived glories of colorful iris to tropical escapes protected inside humid shelters, the state’s many public gardens show off the efforts of their human caretakers.